Corporate culture has embraced mental health benefits. Why are industrial workers being left behind?

Employers across industries are obsessively searching for new ways to keep employees engaged and happy at work. But not every corner of the workforce is attracting appropriate attention. 

Forty-seven percent of industrial workers — a term that includes employees in such trades as transportation services and warehousing — are stressed at their jobs, according to a recent report conducted by safety insights platform StrongArm Technologies and research firm YouGov. Twenty-four percent of respondents said the strain is having a negative effect on their mental health, while 29% said it is taking a toll on their physical health, too. 

"The pandemic really propelled this idea of the 'future of work' for white collar workers who already gained a lot more flexibility through remote work, but for [industrial workers] there's been increased expectations without increased benefits or support," says Sean Petterson, CEO of StrongArm Technologies. "Companies are up against rising consumer demand and often, [industrial workers] are treated as vehicles to meet these goals rather than valuable employees to retain and upskill."

Read more: How 'gray collar' workers became the overlooked essential employee

The lack of support in their professional lives is beginning to bleed into their personal lives, too. Thirty-two percent of warehouse and transport workers say they're too tired to engage with their friends and family as a result of their jobs, and 24% feel like they're missing out on important life moments because of bad or inconsistent hours. 

But the root of the problem took hold well before COVID entered our lives. Nearly a third of industrial workers reported that it's always been difficult to take time off, and nearly one in five reported that they feel like the industry as a whole is resisting change when it comes to work-life balance.

"We're coming up to a huge labor issue in the industrial sector if things don't change," Petterson says. "Cost of living is rising, and these workers are rightfully considering that with injuries so likely in these fields, it might be worth it to work in another sector. Some employers have already drained local labor pools and now have to bus in workers from other cities just to do a day's worth of warehouse or manufacturing work." 

Read more:IT on the go: How remote work is making tech support more challenging

A lot of the mismanagement and mistreatment of workers in the industrial sector comes down to one thing: lack of training. More than half of warehouse and transport workers report getting five or fewer days of training for their jobs. One in five workers admitted they got no training at all.  That kind of perceived disregard for  health and safety from employers can compound the strain on an employee's mental health. 

The tools to support these workers are already available. Just as tech has evolved to make white collar jobs easier, the same has happened in the blue collar sector, with applications that streamline recruiting and platforms to optimize scheduling. But it hasn't prioritized in the same way, leaving workers feeling overlooked, overworked and undervalued compared to other industries.

"Industrial workers are so often overlooked but they keep nearly every industry running — it's critical we address their safety and wellbeing before we drive too many away from these critical jobs," Petterson says. "A larger industry mindset shift needs to take place to realize, workers need support — they are not machines. We can both do well and do good by supporting them better."